


I Found You In the Ocean

by cephalopod_groupie



Series: Watching You, Watching Me [2]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Documentaries, Established Relationship, M/M, Octopuses, Television Watching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-06-01 11:43:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15142346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cephalopod_groupie/pseuds/cephalopod_groupie
Summary: Newt wants to share a documentary with Hermann.





	I Found You In the Ocean

“Oh my god, are you not done yet?” Newt said, standing at the corner of Hermann’s desk. 

“No, I am working on a very detailed section of my thesis on Karl Pearson’s principal component analysis.” Hermann typed meaningfully, a stub of a pencil between his fingers. 

“Funny how the plural of thesis is theses. Rhyme’s with feces.”

“Most amusing,” Hermann said flatly as he continued to work. Newt kissed him on the cheek. 

“When you’re done do you wanna watch a documentary with me?”

“What’s it about?”

“The one about the homosexuality in animals” 

“Please tell me they’re not saying homosexuality is some sort of abnormality or defect in nature.” 

“No, no, actually it’s super respectful!” Newt came up behind Hermann and ran his fingers tenderly through his man’s hair. “They’re saying they kinda don’t know why it happens in animals so we shouldn’t judge humans for being gay….basically.” 

“Ah that sounds promising.”

“Watch it with me?” Newt bent close to Hermann’s face. 

“I don’t see why not,” Hermann said cautiously, seeing how excited Newt was getting. “I reserve the right to leave if it makes me uncomfortable.”

Newt kissed him on the cheek again. “Of course, baby.”

 

Newt got their viewing area set up, talking to himself. 

“Gonna get this place all cozy like a nest for my mate.” 

The sound of Hermann’s cane on the floor signaled his arrival and Newt turned around and smiled. Hermann reciprocated, although tired. 

“Wanna lay down?”

“Yes, that does sound lovely,” he said as he lowered himself to the couch. Once they got comfortable, Newt encouraged Hermann to rest his head on his lap. 

“Oo that feels nice,” Hermann sighed, relishing the sensation of Newt’s fingers running through his hair. 

A soft British voice on the screen wafted toward them as they tried to forget about work. 

Newt chuckled to himself. “He says ‘sex-UAL’ like you do.”

“That is the proper way to pronounce it.”

“Whatever, baby.” Newt kissed Hermann’s brow. Hermann rolled his eyes, and yet felt such warm affection for the man he loved. 

“Watching nature videos with you is like, my favorite thing, dude.”

“Any other activity you prefer?”

“Very funny. Of course, babe.” 

Hermann almost drifted off as Newt’s ministrations soothed him. 

“Hell yeah, here’s the octopus segment!” Newt said and Hermann was jolted out of his trance.

_“Take the case of the scientists who traveled two kilometers beneath the ocean’s surface to study the little known deep sea octopus…”_

“You and your octopuses.”

“Shhhhh.”

_“…Imagine their excitement when they began to film the first ever mating witnessed by humans between these illusive creatures. Then imagine their shock when they realize they were watching two males. And the surprises were far from over. These octopuses belonged to two different species. The little white male is trying to mate with an octopus over four times its size.”_

“Oh look, it’s us.”

“Rude.”

_“This finding was so extraordinary that when they returned to the surface the scientists asked expert Janet Voigt to check and identify the octopuses correctly.”_

When Janet Voigt appeared on the screen Newt cheered like she was a famous basketball player walking onto the court. Hermann smiled. He secretly loved to see Newt enthused about science. 

_“If you draw an imaginary line of symmetry…in between the eyes of the octopus there are symmetrical first arms, symmetrical second arms, but on the third arm instead of being long, tapered, with suckers carried to the end, in males that third arm is a little shorter…”_

“Is that a third arm in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

“I thought you told _me_ to shush.”

Newt blew a raspberry.

_“…and the tip has got a grasper-type organ.”_ Newt chuckled. 

_“This third arm,”_ the narrator continued, _“is the male’s reproductive organ. In these unique pictures, the smaller octopus is inserting his reproductive arm under the mantle of the larger octopus and attempting to copulate. But why?”_

“I can think of a few good reasons.”

_“Some biologists have suggested that in these depths, octopuses encounter each other so rarely that they can’t afford to pass up any chance of sex. But octopuses are known to be highly intelligent and sensitive creatures…”_

Hermann snuggled closer.

_“…easily able to tell individuals apart. And if the smaller made a mistake, surely the larger male would realize this and back off. But as Janet Voigt notes…_

_“He does not seem to be at any time perturbed that the other octopus is there._

_“And the scientists noted that as time went on the ventilation rate of the smaller octopus increased suggesting heightened arousal.”_

_“Clearly,”_ Janet Voigt continued, _“it’s not going to help him pass on his genes to the next generation. This male is simply near the peak of his life and he’s got abundant spermatophores produced. And over the course of that life he’s had few or maybe no opportunities to copulate with a con specific female.”_

_“It’s impossible to say anything more about these fascinating creatures. We simply don’t know enough about their lifestyle.”_

“Wow,” Newt breathed. The rest of the documentary was fascinating but they were getting tired, ready to properly snuggle down for the night. Hermann yawned and looked up at Newt.

“The smaller octopus is a bit like you, taking on something that’s too dangerous. Biting off more than you can chew, so to speak.”

“Are you comparing yourself to an octopus.”

“Octopuses, in this instance, symbolize our relationship.”

Newt paused, losing himself in deep thought and Hermann looked up again, worrying he’d said the wrong thing. 

“But I don’t want to mate with you just because you’re here,” Newt said, suddenly very serious. “Even if I was a hot young octopus and I was, like, surrounded by potential mates, I would want you.”

“Thank you, my darling.”

Newt strained down and kissed Hermann on the lips.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Peter Hudson, narrator.   
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOx9DxHsMyc


End file.
